NEW DELHI: CPI(M) today demanded Supreme Court pronounce validity of impositions of President's rule in Uttarakhand "without any delay" and urged Left forces to pitch for scrapping of Article 356.
"Whatever the outcome of High Court proceedings, it will be better if Supreme Court without delay pronounces on validity of the imposition of President's rule in both Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand," ex-CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said.
Karat made the remarks in the editorial of forthcoming issue of party mouthpiece 'People's Democracy'.
Targeting Union Government for recommending President's rule in the state some hours before floor test was to be conducted in assembly, the CPI(M) accused Centre of violating Bommai judgment, which it noted, had laid down that "floor test in assembly must be the final arbiter".
Harish Rawat had moved High Court after imposition of President's Rule in the state last Sunday. A single-member bench of HC had ordered that a floor test be conducted to determine who has a majority in the assembly on March 31.
However, Central Government went in appeal against this before a division bench which stayed till April 7 the floor test in the Assembly.
On March 29 the Supreme Court said it will hear next week a PIL challenging imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand.
The Marxist leader accused Modi Government of violating Supreme Court's Bommai judgment of 1994.
This judgment, he said, had "clearly" set out parameters under which Article 356 can be invoked.
Karat said the judgment also "clearly" said that floor test in the assembly must be the final arbiter nor the Governor nor the Centre's "whims and fancies".
He observed the use of Article 356 is part of Centre's "authoritarian" drive to bring states under its mercy and asked all opposition parties to "realise the threat" posed by authoritarianism of BJP government and resist these alleged attacks "unitedly".
"By all criteria, Modi Government's actions have violated Bommai judgment. The Left and democratic forces should take a longer view and demand that Article 356 itself be scrapped and replaced with some appropriate provision which will safeguard the rights of the states and federal principle," he added.
Karat also expressed fears that after allegedly targeting Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the ruling party at the Centre may make similar attempts in other Congress-ruled small states like Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.